2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Predictions

By Petko Stoyanov Published: Jan 27, 2023, Updated: Jan 05, 2024

Rock and Roll, Hall of Fame, Guitar, Rockstars, Celebrities

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is an institution that immortalizes the greatest musicians of every generation. Many artists will be eligible in 2023, so it’s time for us to determine which legends will be honored this year.

How are the nominees chosen and inducted? Here’s how it works: artists become eligible 25 years after releasing their first official recording. Then, a voting pool of over 1,000 professionals in the music business gets to decide the next crop of inductees.

Now that you know how the process works, I want to share my Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2023 predictions. It’s not easy because nominations can be pretty random and unpredictable. The inductees are often artists from different musical genres, such as pop, hip-hop, and heavy metal.

With that in mind, here are several artists that could be inducted in 2023.

Mariah Carey

Age: 53
Years Active: 1988–Present
Genres: R&B, Pop, Hip-Hop

Chaka Khan

Age: 69
Years Active: 1970–Present
Genres: R&B, Soul, Funk, Pop, Disco

Here’s another notable musician to consider when submitting your 2023 Rock and Roll HOF predictions. Chaka Khan has been nominated so many times now that it feels like they’re miscounting the votes. In my opinion, the “Queen of Funk” deserves a little more respect.

Important:

Let’s keep in mind that the 2022 class didn’t include any female soul/R&B artists. This is one of the reasons why 2023 will likely be the year she gets inducted. The Hall of Fame has been accused of gatekeeping largely for excluding artists like Chaka Khan.

Chaka Khan also has a long list of accomplishments. She’s received 22 Grammy nominations and won 10 Grammy awards in her career, which is pretty impressive. She’s also considered one of the seminal solo women’s R&B artists.

Soundgarden

Notable Members: Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron
Years Active: 1984–1997, 2010-2018
Genres: Grunge, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock

Where do I begin with this one? Soundgarden is a long-awaited inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Considering some of the bands that have already made it in, this one is overdue a place.

Tip:

Soundgarden was one of the cornerstone rock bands during the 1990s. They helped redefine the genre through powerful lyricism and sludgy, distorted guitar riffs. The band has also sold millions of albums and solidified its legacy within the rock world.

When you think about it, Soundgarden checks every box for a Rock and Roll HOF inductee. The main thing that’s working against them is that the voters don’t typically favor bands with heavier sounds. However, it’s only a matter of time before Soundgarden is voted in.

Kate Bush

Age: 64
Years Active: 1975–Present
Genres: Progressive/Experimental Pop

Kate Bush is going to get a ton of consideration this year. Culturally, she’s been a lot more prevalent as of late, which is why I include her in my Rock and Roll HOF 2023 predictions. Her underappreciated career is now getting the recognition it deserves.

Why is Bush receiving a lot of fanfare now? Her resurgence is largely due to the popular Netflix series Stranger Things. Her hit song “Running Up That Hill” has been used on the show, thrusting her back into the cultural limelight.

“Running Up That Hill” re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 in 2022 for the first time in 37 years. This is something that rarely happens in the music industry. The song also became Bush’s first US top-ten hit, even though it was released decades ago.

A Tribe Called Quest

Notable Members: Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Years Active: 1985–1998, 2006–2013, 2015–2017
Genres: Hip-Hop, Rap

Here’s a pretty worthy contender for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023. A Tribe Called Quest stands is one of those nominations that you can’t overlook. The band changed hip-hop forever by introducing an intricate sound that blended jazz with philosophical lyricism.

Note:

Let’s also remember that they dominated the 1990s with several mega-successful albums. Their seminal album The Low End Theory represents a cultural benchmark that catapulted hip-hop into the future. Now, their music is more relevant than ever.

You could also argue that A Tribe Called Quest paved the way for a lot of musical powerhouses. Pharrell Williams, Common, and Lupe Fiasco built their careers upon the foundation that was created in the 1990s. A HOF induction seems only fitting for the prolific hip-hop group.

Honorable Mention – The Smashing Pumpkins

Notable Members: Billy Corgan, James Iha, Jimmy Chamberlin
Years Active: 1988–2000, 2006–Present
Genres: Grunge, Alternative Rock

The fact that The Smashing Pumpkins have yet to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a travesty. Their music holds up extremely well in 2023, and they’re one of the more memorable rock bands to emerge during the 1990s.

The Smashing Pumpkins also often draws comparisons to Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Jane’s Addiction. If that’s not a glowing endorsement, then I don’t know what else you could say to get them into the Hall of Fame.

The biggest reason why The Smashing Pumpkins haven’t been inducted is due to continuity issues. The band broke up in 2000 and partially reunited back in 2006. However, James Iha, the original guitarist, didn’t rejoin the band until 2018.

The Smashing Pumpkins deserve to be in the Rock and Roll HOF, and it’s time to get them there. The Band was at the forefront of pioneering and modernizing alternative rock. Also, Siamese Dream remains one of the most influential rock albums of all time.

Can You Bet on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2023?

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2023 betting odds haven’t been released, but you can expect them to be available shortly before the inductees are announced. Keep in mind that voting for the Rock and Roll HOF can be pretty random. For example, Dolly Parton received her first nomination in 2022, even though she has been eligible since 1986.

If you want to try your luck, check the best entertainment betting sites regularly. They normally offer betting lines for the Rock and Roll HOF, so 2023 shouldn’t be an exception.